Communicate your brand…without shouting

BY Amanda Smith

On average, we’re exposed to up to 5,000 ad messages a day. On TV, in our social media feeds, on bus stops, billboards, on the radio, in magazines, newspapers… that’s a lot of ‘noise’!

So how on earth can you stand out? Not only when you’re up against all the other companies in your industry, but the other 4,999 messages as well.

Follow these 5 tips, to communicate your brand… without shouting.

Appeal to curiosity
Logic makes people think, but emotion makes them feel, like and remember. Make sure your brand creates a positive emotional connection. Show that you know your customers so well that they naturally connect and gravitate towards your brand.

Communicate results
It’s not enough to simply have a witty one-liner. Your brand must express how you make other people’s lives better. Don’t just say you do it… show them how you do it. Be real. Tell stories. Success stories.

Position yourself as their best choiceShowcasing your uniqueness, you can position yourself as the best option. When people think of your brand, that one thing about you should be the first thing to come to mind. Keep it real… because it all starts will real reasons to trust you. And do the very best work you can, so your customers spread the best advertising of all: word of mouth.

Be passionate and authentic
No one else can market your brand better than you – you created it, remember? Think of it like finding a new dress or suit. You buy the one that best fits you and makes you feel confident. Make sure your brand reflects your authentic self, so you can deliver the service that matches your customer’s expectations.

Tell your story
As humans, we naturally love telling and hearing stories. But for some reason, they’re few and far between in business. Stories have the power to transform brand presence and identity. To read a story is to feel an experience, which is where the emotion comes in – leading to action. But the story must be driven through personality. Your story lives in your brand’s content.

Susan Gunelius in her Forbes article describes this well:

Brand stories are not marketing materials. They are not ads, and they are not sales pitches. Brand stories should be told with the brand persona and the writer’s personality at centre stage. Boring stories won’t attract and retain readers, but stories brimming with personality can.

This means “good guys” and “bad guys” don’t dominate your story. It’s not about painting your company as the saviour. No. Your story is about people who develop the narrative of your company. People trust people. And storytelling humanises your company.

Creating a powerful brand positions your company as the go-to. Find and promote your brands ‘edge’, difference, uniqueness – and ‘lead’ with that. Spend the time on it. Don’t be bland, fake or fluffy. Get started with these 5 principles to be unforgettable, in the good way.